Thursday, May 31, 2007

So the name intrigues you, you think what does this Bong Girl have to do with Kashmir that too Kashmiri Jackfruit !!! To be truthful even I am clueless. I am a simple Bong girl who has spent about a quarter of her life in the Gangetic Plains. What do I know about the beautiful valley lying between the ranges of the Great Himalayas. More so what do I know about Kashmir and its Jackfruit ?

I know about the Dal Lake and had always dreamt of being on a shikara. I have read about Kashmir in my school geography books and know that it is the “Paradise on earth”. I know about the Pashmina and would love to own a pure Pashmina Shawl.But that’s it, I had always wanted but somehow a trip to Kashmir never materialized. And my geography is not that fantastic that I would know about Jackfruits growing in Kashmir. Neither do I have any kashmiri friends who would invite me over and treat me to their way of making Jackfruit.

But Bee wanted a Jackfruit recipe different from the one I already have in my Blog. Now thats(Enchor er Dalna/Enchor Chingri or Jackfruit with Shrimp) the only Jackfruit recipe I really know. So I scratched my head and thought. After thinking hard, very hard I thought I would make the other Bengali Jackfruit delicacy called “Enchorer Chop”. Now that is really tasty but I didn’t have enough time because a friend was moving house and I had offered to cook a dinner for them. Making a recipe serve two Food Events is not really nice, (though I have done it several times) I agree but at least I can make the food I cook serve several purpose I thought. So I wanted to make something that could be served as a dish for dinner and also be sent to JFI Jackfruit

Flipping through my recipe book, the Bengali one which finds mention in my blog from time to time, I found this wonderful recipe called “Kashmiri Enchor” or "Kashmiri Jackfruit" I am not really sure if there is anything remotely “Kashmiri” to this but since the name sounded good I stuck to it. With some of my innovations thrown in this was one great tasting Jackfruit Dish. So heres Kashmiri Enchor for JFI Jackfruit hosted by Jugalbandi and created by Mahanadi

* If this is indeed a Kashmiri prep -- pat on my back* If there is a different prep for Kashmiri Jackfruit -- my apologies

Onion Paste ~ 2 tbspRed Chilli Powder ~ 1 tsp or more. Since I like it hot I added moreKitchen King masala ~ 1 tsp heaped . Kitchen King Masala is a spice blend used to enhance the flavor of Indian Dishes. Can be used instead of Garam masala in some occasionsSugar ~ 2 tspSalt ~ according to tasteOil ~ for cookingGhee ~ 1tsp (optional)

How I Did It

Since the jackfruit is canned in brine, it becomes a bit salty. So the night before you cook, open the can, drain the liquid, wash the jackfruit several times in fresh water and soak them in fresh water overnightCut the jackfruit pieces in cubesMake a marinade with the ingredients listed under “For Marinade” and marinate the jackfruit for an hour.Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying PanTemper with 2 – 3 Bay leaves and 1 tsp (loosely packed) of Shah Jeera/Black Cumin. You can also use the regular White Jeera/CuminAdd about 2 tbsp of Onion PasteFry till the onion turns pinkish brown and you see the oil separate from the onion paste.Lower the heat and Add the jackfruit along with the marinadeSauté till the masala cooks. In Bengali we use the term “Kashano” which means you have to stir till the masala coats nicely and masala is cookedAdd the Red Chilli Powder, the 1 tsp of Kitchen King Masala and Salt and saute againDo not add water but sprinkle a little as needed and cook till done. Stir intermittently. Tip:If you at all need to add water to make the jackfruit cook, remeber to dry off most of the water.After the jackfruit is cooked add 2 tsp of sugar if you want and mix and cook for a couple more minutes. Since I am not very tuned to sourness in food and the canned jackfruit has a bit of sourness I added this step. If you don't want do not add sugar.The canned jackfruit being tender will cook quickly. If you are using the fresh ones you should steam or pressure cook the jackfruit before.

The dish had very little gravy but was moist and was excellent with Rice or Chapati.For my friends I served this with Dal, Egg Curry and White Rice. They loved it and so did we. The best part is it did not take much of my time, fast and tasty.

Update on 22nd June, 2007: Yesterday I added a little ghee to this dish and it enhanced the taste. I also realized that a certain hotness of chillies makes it taste better, specially with the canned jackfruit. So if you wish add a little ghee at the end and don't scrimp on the chilli.

Trivia: Jackfruit plays an important role in Indian agriculture and was cultivated in India 3000 to 6000 years ago.One of the earliest descriptions of the jackfruit is to be found in the 16th century memoirs of the Mughal Emperor Babar, who was not much enamored of it and said "The jackfruit is unbelievably ugly and bad tasting". Well we don't think so, do we.(Source:wiki)

39 comments:

Pashmina Shawls, Dal Lake, boy, you certainly evoked some pretty images of Kashmir....I'll tell you what I want, Rahul Sharma playing the "PariMahal", on the Shikara, while I am sipping some Kashmiri "Kehwa", too much to ask? I think Not.

What ruckus Jackfruit has caused for all of us,eh? HeHe!!I almost gave up too.Well..turned out great in the end.Whatever the name and wherever it is from,dish looks fabulous.It seems not many have cooked with JF even in India except my grandma!!;DLove the color,looks great.I will try this.I still have 2 more cans left!:)

Pat on your back for venturing into something like this :) And with all the mention of pashmina shawls and shikaras, you were successful in digging up my dusted travel dreams again...why do you do such stuff to your readers ???? :)

Hi Sandeepa, love the look and ease of this jackfruit dish! I have made one with black cardamom -- I bet the black cumin makes it rich, too. Since all I can get is canned jackfruit, I'll definitely be trying this :)

IndoI was on a work related training so I did have access to WWW during breaks. But since I was having long days, there was no time left to blog or blog hop in the evenings :(Yeah we should plan it together but how do I recognize you once we set out? yellow rose as Sig had suggested :)

RoopaGreen Jackfruit with Ginger and garlic is not new for us. So you guys don't use ginger+garlic with JF ?

ShnGood to see you here. I thought you were on a break

LeraGood to see you too

DRSo you get Enchor in Netherlands too ?

SiaThat was a good idea. I used "Deggi Mirch". Shall try Kashmiri Chilli next

Meena, Mandira, Seema, SunitaThanks to all you girls

SigTry changing the water 3-4 times the night before and finally let it soak in fresh water. That will reduce the saltiness, but there still will be a hint of it. Thats why the spiciness of the red chilli is needed

Sandeepa, I do not have an email address to send you the recipe for the fish kebabs and I don't want to take up a lot of space in your comments section writing it. You can send me an email and I will respond: tasteslikehome@gmail.com

My mom makes bhajis and curries using raw jackfruit and one of them looks just like yours! Never thought of using canned jackfruits before but looks like it's as tasty and definitely easier to work with than fresh jackfruit..

It's such a pleasure to read your posts! I always feel like I'm swept along on a delightful adventure, with beautiful writing, yummy looking pictures--and I frequently learn new things. What could be better? Well, eating that wonderful looking dish, for one!

Have never tried anything with green jack fruit and this recipe of yours look really good. Iam seeing so many recipes of jackfruit nowadays and I have planned to buy it and will surely try some.. thanks for the recipe.

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Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine